The U.S. Department of Agriculture said 86% of the corn crop was in the silking stage as of Aug. 4, up from 71% the previous week but down three percentage points from 89% as the 2008-2012 average.
The most recent Crop Progress report also said that 18% of the crop was in the dough stage as of Aug. 4, up from 8% in the previous week but down from 31% as the five-year average.
The U.S.D.A. also rated 64% of the crop in the 18 major states in good-to-excellent condition in the latest week, 25% fair and 11% very poor to poor. That compares with the previous week, when 63% of the crop was rated good to excellent, 26% fair and 11% was very poor to poor.
The U.S.D.A. said 79% of the soybean crop in the 18 major states was blooming, down from an 85% five-year average. A total of 39% of the crop was setting pods as of Aug. 4, up from 20% the previous week but significantly below 51% as the 2008-2012 average.
The condition of the crop improved slightly. The U.S.D.A. rated 64% of the crop in good-to-excellent condition, up from 63% the previous week. The 9% rated very poor to poor was identical to the previous week.
The winter wheat harvest was one percentage point ahead of the five-year average, the U.S.D.A. said. A total of 87% of the crop in the 18 main winter-wheat growing states was harvested as of Aug. 4, ahead of the 2008-2012 average of 86%. Several states finished their harvest by the end of July, including Arkansas, Indiana, Kansas, Missouri, Michigan, Ohio, Oklahoma and Texas. Several other states were at least 98% complete as of Aug. 4, including California, Colorado, Illinois and North Carolina, the U.S.D.A. said.
A total of 97% of the spring wheat crop in the six major states was headed as of Aug. 4, compared to a 98% five-year average. The crop was 68% good to excellent and 7% very poor to poor, the U.S.D.A. said.
The oats harvest in the nine major states significantly lagged the five-year average as of Aug. 4. The U.S.D.A. said 38% of the crop was harvested in the latest week, up from 27% the previous week but down from the 52% five-year average. A total of 55% of the crop was rated good to excellent, down a percentage point from the previous week, and 14% very poor to poor, identical to last week.
A total of 53% of the rice crop in the six major states was headed as of Aug. 4, down from 56% as the five-year average but up from 36% the previous week, the U.S.D.A. said. The condition of the crop improved in the latest week, with 70% rated good to excellent, compared to 69% the previous week, and 5% very poor to poor, down from 6% the previous week, the U.S.D.A. said.
The peanut crop in the eight major states was 88% pegging as of Aug. 4, up from 87% as the five-year average, the U.S.D.A. said.
